This invention relates to the creation of fishing lures, and more particularly to the creation of a novel tasseled fishing lure designed to provide vibratory motion particularly attractive to fish.
Because of their large numbers and ease in harvesting, fish not only constitute an important food source for mankind, but also provide an important sport. Recreation fishing is enjoyed throughout the world, and artificial lures and bait have become an important tool in the arsenal of the angler.
In the past, lures have been constructed of many different materials, such as of silk, skin, feathers, wood, metals and the like. With the advent of easily formed plastics, it has been relatively easy to fashion lures to imitate bait such as shrimp, frogs, insects, fish, worms and the like. One of the latest trends in lure construction is to provide forms which more closely resemble live creatures that arouse the curiosity and rapacity of the fish.
Many of these plastic lures are characterized by long, thin ribbon tails that are curved or shaped to present wiggling or undulating simulated swimming action in the water in order to further attract fish to the lure. A variety of tail shapes, sizes, and thicknesses are currently used in many of the plastic fishing lures on the market today. Typical of the plastic fishing lures used with good success in catching black bass, small mouth bass, and other game fish is the xe2x80x9ccurly tailxe2x80x9d lure having one or more tail segments extending therefrom and curled inwardly or outwardly to a thin ribbon-like point. When the lure is put into the water, the tail undulates or folds and unfolds as it xe2x80x9cswimsxe2x80x9d through the water to attract fish. As described in the Garst U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,523 entitled xe2x80x9cUndulating Single Tail Fishing Lure,xe2x80x9d lures of this type are shaped from a plastic material that can be easily injection molded in a variety of colors and shapes. Desirable odors can even be synthesized and provided in the lure bodies. Other lures, similar in form, are characterized by a xe2x80x9cmoving ribbonxe2x80x9d appearance as they are drawn through the water.
It is to be noted from the Garst patent that this patentee provides a lure of U-shaped configuration which tends to straighten as it is drawn through the water, but concerning which this patentee says nothing about the fin of his lure undertaking a desired rippling on such occasion. Patentee Garst describes that his lure has a generally triangular cross section with a tall apex and a short base, with the sides of the lure slightly curved in a concave manner. Obviously Garst does not teach a lure having a so-called swimming tail equipped with a plurality of tassels to amplify the motion of the lure and to enhance the attractiveness of the lure to fish.
The Hill U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,792 entitled xe2x80x9cArtificial Snake-Eel Bodyxe2x80x9d describes a lure involving an elongate strip member of multi-convolution spiral configuration, which decreases in radius of curvature toward the rear end thereof. The strip is of greater transverse width than thickness and one longitudinal edge of the strip comprises the inner periphery of the spiral and the other longitudinal edge of the strip comprises the outer periphery of the spiral. This patentee sets forth that the strip is constructed of resilient, flexible material and includes, on its large radius of curvature end, an endwise outwardly projecting terminal end portion extending generally axially of the spiral of the strip and intended to simulate the head of a swimming snake or eel. The strip, when moved forwardly through the water, is stated to undulate in the manner of a swimming snake or eel and the patentee states that the xe2x80x9cswimming actionxe2x80x9d thereof is difficult to distinguish from the undulating swimming movement of a snake or eel.
It is most important to note that patentee Hill states in the mid portion of Column 1 of his patent that his elongated strip is constructed of shape retentive flexible material.
It is to be noted that neither patentee Garst nor patentee Hill describe the specific configuration of the molds used in the creation of their lures, nor do they explain the particular circumstances under which molding efforts take place.
The Littleton U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,811 entitled xe2x80x9cApparatus for Making Plastic Devicesxe2x80x9d reveals that it is known to mold plastic fishing lures from suitable plastic utilizing various types of molds. The Littleton patent is concerned with the molding of lures having skirts of stranded plastic, such as shown in his FIG. 14. The Littleton patent reveals the use of mold cavities involving male and female mold components that cooperate in such a manner that a number of lures having stranded skirts can be molded at one time by the use of a suitable plastic heated to a proper molding temperature.
It was in an effort to improve upon these teachings of the prior art, and to increase the attractiveness of the lure to fish as the lure moves through the water, that the present novel tassel tail lure was evolved.
An artificial fishing lure in accordance with this invention is ideal when fishing for Black Bass, commonly called Large Mouth Bass. However, it is also quite suitable for use with other species, including Small Mouth Bass, Stripe Bass and Wall Eye.
Our lure is created in an initially curved configuration, with the lure being of resilient, flexible plastic material such that when attached to a line and pulled through the water, the lure essentially duplicates the swimming motion of a worm, eel, snake, or lizard. This novel lure has a body portion and a flexible, elongate, relatively thin tail of curved configuration, with a number of tassels utilized in a spaced relationship along the tail.
Our lure is usually made of a plastic such that it would float on the surface of a lake or other body of water. Therefore it is typical to use our lure in conjunction with a slip sinker or bullet weight.
Significantly, the relatively thin tail of our novel lure is essentially flat when the lure is in a curved configuration, but the tail advantageously undertakes a highly desirable rippled configuration when the tail has somewhat straightened out as a result of the lure being pulled through the water.
It is to be noted that the preformed fins or tails on certain lures of the prior art do not freely move back and forth in a realistic xe2x80x9cswimmingxe2x80x9d motion.
As will be seen in greater detail hereinafter, our novel lure has a body portion and a flexible, elongate tail, with the tail possessing a curved configuration, being attached to the aft end of the body portion. When the lure is caused to move through the water, the tail advantageously undertakes undulating motion particularly attractive to fish.
Importantly to our invention, we attach a plurality of tassels in a spaced relationship along one of the long edges of the tail, with these novel tassels being relatively flexible and adapted to move with the tail at the time the tail undertakes the aforementioned undulating motion.
The tassels are preferably spaced along the curved outer peripheral edge of the tail and adapt readily to movement through the water. Because of this, the instant lure closely resembles the swimming action of a worm, eel, snake, tadpole or the like, even at very low speeds.
The tassels are sufficiently flexible as to undertake motion attractive to fish even when the lure is resting on the bottom. Even when the lure is not being pulled through the water, the tassels are caused to undertake movement by the natural currents in the water.
A principal object of this invention is to provide a lure able to be manufactured at low cost, which has a novel tail provided with a plurality of tassels enabling the lure, even at low speed, to very realistically duplicate the swimming movements of a worm, snake, eel or other aquatic animal which swims in a wriggling manner.
It is another object of this invention to provide a lure whose tail is molded in a curved configuration, with the tail of the lure being initially flat and equipped with a plurality of relatively small tassels, with the tail being caused as the result of motion of the lure through the water to extend rearwardly and in doing so to undertake a distinct rippling action highly attractive to a fish.
It is yet another object of our invention to provide a lure utilizing novel tassels that will remain active as a result of natural currents in the water, even when the lure is lying on the bottom of a lake, river or pond, with the motion of the tassels serving at such time as a continuing attraction for fish.
It is still another object of our invention to provide tassels spaced along the flexible tail of a lure, with such tassels serving to create vibrations and water movement that fish find particularly attractive.
It is yet still another object of our invention to provide a lure having a tail along which a series of tassels are deployed, with the tassels being of graduated length, with the tassels near the tail end of the lure being shorter than the tassels near the body of the lure.
These and other objects, features and advantages will become more apparent as the description proceeds.